U.S. patent application number 16/804246 was filed with the patent office on 2020-06-25 for paper sheet processing device.
The applicant listed for this patent is UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Takao NIREKI.
Application Number | 20200198920 16/804246 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40801128 |
Filed Date | 2020-06-25 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200198920 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
NIREKI; Takao |
June 25, 2020 |
PAPER SHEET PROCESSING DEVICE
Abstract
A bill processing apparatus which is capable of reliably
supplying information on a bill to the bill housing body side. The
paper sheet processing apparatus has a bill housing part being
capable of housing a bill inserted from a bill insertion slot, and
also a reader/writer which wirelessly transmits information on the
bill inserted from the bill insertion slot. The bill housing part
has a coil antenna which wirelessly receives the information
transmitted from the reader/writer, and a storage part which stores
the information on the bill received from the coil antenna.
Inventors: |
NIREKI; Takao; (Tokyo,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
40801128 |
Appl. No.: |
16/804246 |
Filed: |
February 28, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15296011 |
Oct 17, 2016 |
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16804246 |
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12809476 |
Jun 18, 2010 |
9505582 |
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PCT/JP2008/073014 |
Dec 17, 2008 |
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15296011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 2511/514 20130101;
G07D 11/23 20190101; B65H 2701/1912 20130101; B65H 2557/11
20130101; G07D 11/13 20190101; G07D 11/34 20190101; B65H 2701/1313
20130101; G07D 11/30 20190101; H04B 1/04 20130101; B65H 2553/22
20130101; B65H 29/46 20130101; B65H 43/06 20130101; B65H 31/00
20130101; G07D 7/01 20170501; B65H 31/22 20130101; B65H 2407/11
20130101; B65H 2553/52 20130101; G07D 11/28 20190101; G07D 11/50
20190101; B65H 29/14 20130101; B65H 2557/13 20130101; B65H 43/04
20130101; B65H 2557/23 20130101; B65H 2301/331 20130101; B65H
2511/514 20130101; B65H 2220/01 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65H 43/06 20060101
B65H043/06; G07D 11/13 20060101 G07D011/13; G07D 11/28 20060101
G07D011/28; G07D 11/50 20060101 G07D011/50; B65H 29/46 20060101
B65H029/46; B65H 31/22 20060101 B65H031/22; G07D 7/01 20060101
G07D007/01; B65H 29/14 20060101 B65H029/14; B65H 31/00 20060101
B65H031/00; B65H 43/04 20060101 B65H043/04; H04B 1/04 20060101
H04B001/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 20, 2007 |
JP |
2007-328144 |
Claims
1. A paper sheet processing apparatus comprising: a stand; a main
body disposed on the stand; a reader that reads information on a
paper sheet inserted into a slot, the reader disposed on the main
body; a transmitter that sends the information, the transmitter
disposed on the main body; a housing that stores the paper sheet,
the housing slidably mountable to the stand and demountable from
the stand along a sliding direction; and a controller, wherein the
housing comprises: a placing plate on which the paper sheet is to
be stacked; a pair of regulatory members disposed on both sides of
the placing plate; a presser plate; an antenna that receives the
information wirelessly from the transmitter, is installed on an
upper wall of the housing, and has a surface substantially parallel
to the upper wall and facing the transmitter; and a storage that
stores the information on the paper sheet received through the
antenna, wherein the transmitter has a first surface substantially
parallel to the surface of the antenna and a second surface
substantially perpendicular to the surface of the antenna, the
first surface broader than the second surface, wherein the main
body comprises a wall, wherein the first surface of the transmitter
is disposed on the wall of the main body, wherein the upper wall of
the housing is substantially parallel to a ceiling plate of the
stand during the sliding of the housing into the stand such that
the first surface of the transmitter and the surface of the antenna
are substantially parallel to each other, and wherein when
detecting insertion of the paper sheet, the controller moves the
presser plate at a first position to a second position such that
the paper sheet passes through an opening formed between the pair
of regulatory members, the first position being a position at which
the presser plate is brought into the opening such that the opening
through which the paper sheet passes is occluded.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a validator that
determines validity of the paper sheet from the slot, wherein the
controller: determines whether an input is received when the paper
sheet is determined to be valid by the validator; and transmits
paper-sheet-reception information to the storage and a higher-rank
device after the paper sheet is received in the housing.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller: detects
whether the housing is full after transmitting the
paper-sheet-reception information; and generates a detection signal
when the housing is detected to be full.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller moves the
presser plate at the second position to a third position for
pressing the paper sheet onto the placing plate and allows the
presser plate to stay at the third position for a predetermined
time, so as to place the paper sheet stably on the placing
plate.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller sends deposit
information of the paper sheet to a server after the presser plate
moves from the third position to the first position.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main body further
comprises a pair of movable pieces disposed at an entrance of a
paper sheet travelling route along which the paper sheet moves to
the housing, wherein the pair of movable pieces move apart from
each other to open the paper sheet travelling route when the paper
sheet is inserted, and wherein the pair of movable pieces move
closer to each other until a distance between the pair of movable
pieces becomes a predetermined minimum width to correct a position
of the paper sheet.
7. A paper sheet processing apparatus comprising: a stand; a main
body disposed on the stand; a reader that reads information on
paper sheets inserted into a slot, the reader disposed on the main
body; a transmitter that sends the information, the transmitter
disposed on the main body; a housing that stores the paper sheet,
the housing slidably mountable to the stand and demountable from
the stand along a sliding direction; a magnetic sensing unit; and a
controller, wherein the housing comprises: an antenna that receives
the information wirelessly from the transmitter, is installed on an
upper wall of the housing, and has a surface substantially parallel
to the upper wall and facing the transmitter; a storage that stores
the information on the paper sheet received through the antenna; a
placing plate on which the paper sheet is to be stacked; a pair of
regulatory members disposed on both sides of the placing plate; a
presser plate; and a spring that pushes the placing plate, wherein
the transmitter has a first surface substantially parallel to the
surface of the antenna and a second surface substantially
perpendicular to the surface of the antenna, the first surface
broader than the second surface, wherein the main body comprises a
wall, wherein the first surface of the transmitter is disposed on
the wall of the main body, and wherein the upper wall of the
housing is substantially parallel to a ceiling plate of the stand
during the sliding of the housing into the stand such that the
first surface of the transmitter and the surface of the antenna are
substantially parallel to each other, wherein the magnetic sensing
unit comprises at least one magnet that generates a magnetic field
when the pushing plate reaches a predetermined position, wherein
the controller: transmits the information stored in the storage to
a sever; counts a number of paper sheets that are stacked in the
housing after receiving the magnetic field, informs to an external
device that the housing is approaching a full state after the
magnetic sensor receives the magnetic field and before the counted
number exceeds a first threshold, and stops storing the paper sheet
into the housing when the counted number reaches a second threshold
greater than the first threshold, and wherein the controller moves
the presser plate at a first position to a second position such
that the paper sheet passes through an opening formed between the
pair of regulatory members, the first position being a position at
which the presser plate is brought into the opening such that the
opening through which the paper sheet passes is occluded.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the server records and manages
the information from the controller.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one magnet
comprises two or more magnets disposed different locations of the
placing plate along a pushing direction of the spring.
10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the information comprises a
value and a time of stack of each stacked paper sheet and an ID of
the apparatus.
11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the magnetic sensing unit
further comprises a plurality of magnetic sensors that are arranged
along a pressing direction of the pushing plate and generate
detection signals, and wherein the controller determines a number
of paper sheets stacked on the housing based on the detection
signals.
12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller moves the
presser plate at the second position to a third position for
pressing the paper sheet onto the placing plate and allows the
presser plate to stay at the third position for a predetermined
time, so as to place the paper sheet stably on the placing
plate.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller sends deposit
information of the paper sheet to a server after the presser plate
moves from the third position to the first position.
14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the main body further
comprises a pair of movable pieces disposed at an entrance of a
paper sheet travelling route along which the paper sheet moves from
the slot to the housing, wherein the pair of movable pieces move
apart from each other to open the paper sheet travelling route when
the paper sheet is inserted, and wherein the pair of movable pieces
move closer to each other until a distance between the pair of
movable pieces becomes a predetermined minimum width to correct a
position of the paper sheet.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a paper sheet processing
apparatus (or device), which is incorporated into a service device
such as various types of gaming machines, automatic vending
machines, and the like to provide a product, a service, etc. upon
insertion of a paper sheet having an economic value such as a bill,
a coupon, and the like.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Conventionally, a bill processing apparatus, which is one of
the embodiments of the above-mentioned paper sheet processing
apparatus, is incorporated into a service device such as a gaming
machine installed in a game hall or an automatic vending machine or
a ticket vending machine installed in a public location, or the
like, that identifies a validity of a bill inserted from an
insertion slot by a user and provides various types of products and
services according to the value of the bill that has been judged as
valid. In general, such a bill processing apparatus judges whether
the bill having been inserted from the insertion slot is true or
false and stores the bill having been judged as true in a housing
body (safe) which is mountable to and demountable from the bill
processing apparatus.
[0003] In regard to the above-described bill processing apparatus,
it is known to provide the housing body with a storage part such
that consistency between inserted bills and bills actually housed
in the housing body can be checked as disclosed in Patent Document
1. In particular, the bill processing apparatus is configured such
that a bill identification control circuit board is installed in a
bill identification part on an apparatus main body side, a bill
housing body control circuit board is installed on the housing body
side, and communication between the two is enabled via a connection
terminal. That is, by sending information concerning an inserted
bill from the bill identification control circuit board to the bill
housing body control circuit board and storing the bill information
at the storage part mounted on the bill housing body control
circuit board, the information on the bills actually housed in the
housing body is stored and managed.
[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese unexamined patent application
publication No. 2005-18644
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Problem to be Solved by the Invention
[0005] With the above-described bill processing apparatus disclosed
in Patent Document 1, a power and signal line and a pair of
connection terminals are disposed on the apparatus main body side
while a pair of connection terminals and a power and signal line
are installed on the housing body side that is attached to and
detached from the apparatus main body, whereby it is possible that
the communications may be disabled by an electrical contact failure
between both pairs of connection terminals when the housing body is
mounted onto the apparatus main body.
[0006] A paper sheet processing apparatus capable of reliably
supplying information concerning paper sheets to a housing body
side is provided.
Means to Solve the Problem
[0007] A paper sheet processing apparatus comprises a housing part
being capable of housing a paper sheet inserted from an insertion
slot, and a transmitting part wirelessly sending information on the
paper sheet inserted from the insertion slot, and the housing part
comprises an antenna wirelessly receiving the information sent from
the transmitting part, and a storage part storing the information
on the paper sheet received from the antenna. Further features of
the present invention, its nature, and various advantages will be
more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following
description of the preferred embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an entire structure to
illustrate a configuration of a bill processing apparatus of this
embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the bill processing
apparatus in a state that an open/close member is opened for a main
body frame of an apparatus main body.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a
power transmission part of the apparatus main body.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a right side view schematically showing a
traveling route of a bill to be inserted from an insertion
slot.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a
power transmission mechanism for driving the presser plate arranged
in a bill housing part.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a left side view showing a schematic configuration
of a driving source and a driving force transmission mechanism to
drive a bill conveyance mechanism.
[0014] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a bill
processing apparatus.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a partially cut perspective view showing an
interior of a bill housing part as viewed from a side
direction.
[0016] FIG. 9 is a partially cut perspective view showing an
interior of the bill housing part as viewed from a top.
[0017] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing control means for
controlling operations of the bill processing apparatus.
[0018] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing schematically a
configuration of external devices to manage deposit information of
housed bills in the bill processing apparatus.
[0019] FIG. 12A is a schematic view showing a configuration of a
reader/writer and storage means arranged in a
mounting-and-demounting direction of the bill housing part.
[0020] FIG. 12B is a schematic view showing a configuration of a
reader/writer and storage means arranged in a vertical direction to
the mounting-and-demounting direction of the bill housing part.
[0021] FIG. 12C is a partially enlarged schematic view illustrating
a distance change between both points as the reader/writer and the
storage means are referred to as respective points in the case of
FIG. 12A.
[0022] FIG. 12D is a partially enlarged schematic view illustrating
a distance change between storage means are referred to as
respective points in the case of FIG. 12B.
[0023] FIG. 13 shows a flowchart (part one) illustrating processing
operations for processing a bill in a bill processing apparatus of
this embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 14 shows a flowchart (part two) illustrating processing
operations for processing a bill in a bill processing apparatus of
this embodiment.
[0025] FIG. 15 shows a flowchart (part three) illustrating
processing operations for processing a bill in a bill processing
apparatus of this embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 16 shows a flowchart illustrating processing operations
of a traveling route opening process.
[0027] FIG. 17 shows a flowchart illustrating a skew correction
operating process.
[0028] FIG. 18 shows a flowchart illustrating processing operations
of a traveling route closing process.
[0029] FIG. 19 shows a flowchart illustrating processing operations
of a presser plate driving process.
DESCRIPTION OF NOTATIONS
[0030] 1 bill processing apparatus [0031] 2 apparatus main body
[0032] 2A frame [0033] 3 bill traveling route [0034] 5 bill
insertion slot [0035] 6 bill conveyance mechanism [0036] 8 bill
reading means [0037] 10 skew correction mechanism [0038] 100 bill
housing part [0039] 104 storage means [0040] 104a board [0041] 104b
storage part [0042] 104c coil antenna [0043] 105 placing plate
[0044] 108 press standby part [0045] 115 presser plate [0046] 120
presser plate driving mechanism [0047] 140 magnetic sensor [0048]
140A magnet [0049] 142 reader/writer [0050] 200 control means
[0051] 260 management server [0052] 280 management apparatus
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0053] FIGS. 1 to 9 are diagrams showing a bill processing
apparatus of a paper sheet processing apparatus as one of the
embodiments according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a
perspective view showing a general configuration thereof, FIG. 2 is
a perspective view showing a state that an open/close member is
opened for a main body frame of an apparatus main body, FIG. 3 is a
perspective view showing a configuration of a power transmission
part of the apparatus main body, FIG. 4 is a right side view
schematically showing a traveling route of a bill inserted from an
insertion slot, FIG. 5 is a view showing a schematic configuration
of a power transmission mechanism to drive a presser plate disposed
in a bill housing part, FIG. 6 is a left side view showing a
schematic configuration of a driving source and a driving force
transmission mechanism to drive a bill conveyance mechanism, FIG. 7
is an exploded perspective view showing a bill processing
apparatus, FIG. 8 is a partially cut perspective view showing an
interior of a bill housing part as viewed from a side direction,
and FIG. 9 is a partially cut perspective view showing an interior
of the bill housing part as viewed from a top.
[0054] A bill processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment is
configured to be incorporable into, for example, various types of
gaming machines such as slot machines, and the bill processing
apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 2 and a bill housing
part (bill stacker) 100 which is provided on the apparatus main
body 2 and is capable of stacking and housing a great number of
bills. The bill housing part 100 has a function as a safe and is
configured to be mountable to and demountable from a frame 2A
constituting the apparatus main body 2. In this embodiment, for
example, it is possible to remove the bill housing part 100 from
the frame 2A of the apparatus main body 2 by pulling a handle 101
fixed to a front face thereof in a state that a lock mechanism (not
shown) is unlocked.
[0055] Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the above-described bill
processing apparatus 1 is mainly constituted of three structural
bodies. That is, the bill processing apparatus 1 comprises the
apparatus main body 2, a stand (frame member) 2D, in which the
apparatus main body 2 is placed in a mountable/demountable manner,
and a bill housing part 100, installed into the stand 2D in a
mountable/demountable manner.
[0056] Here, a plate 2F that has installed thereon a circuit board
141 on which a magnetic sensor 140 and a reader/writer 142 for
reading and writing information from and onto storage means 104
disposed on an upper wall 102b of the paper sheet housing part so
as to write bill information thereon are implemented is installed
onto a rear surface side of the apparatus main body 2 as a unit.
The plate 2F is interposed between the frame 2A, constituting the
apparatus main body, and a top surface of the stand 2D and is fixed
between these components.
[0057] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the apparatus main body 2 has the
frame 2A and an open/close member 2B configured to be opened and
closed with its one end as a rotating center with respect to the
frame 2A. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the frame 2A and the open/close
member 2B are configured to form a space (bill traveling route) 3
through which a bill is carried such that both frame and member
face with each other across the space when the open/close member 2B
is closed for the frame 2A, and to form a bill insertion slot 5
such that front exposed faces of both frame and member are aligned
and that the bill traveling route 3 exits at the bill insertion
slot 5. In addition, the bill insertion slot 5 is a slit-like
opening from which a short side of a bill can be inserted into the
inside of the apparatus main body 2.
[0058] In the apparatus main body 2, a bill conveyance mechanism 6
that conveys a bill; an insertion detecting sensor 7 that detects
the bill inserted into the bill insertion slot 5; bill reading
means (including a reading device such as an optical information
reading device and magnetic information reading device and the
like) 8 that is installed on a downstream side of the insertion
detecting sensor 7 and reads information from the bill in a
travelling state; a skew correction mechanism 10 that accurately
positions and conveys the bill with respect to the bill reading
means 8; a movable piece passage detecting sensor 12 that detects
that the bill passes through movable pieces constituting the skew
correction mechanism 10; a discharge detecting sensor 18 that
detects that the bill is discharged into the bill housing part 100;
a presser plate detecting sensor 23 for detecting a position of a
presser plate 115 pressing the bill toward a placing plate 105 in
the bill housing part 100; a sensor (magnetic sensor 140) for
detecting whether bills stacked and housed in the bill housing part
100 are in a predetermined state or not; and control means 200 (a
control circuit board 200A; refer to FIG. 10) for controlling the
driving of the bill conveyance mechanism 6, the bill reading means
8, the skew correction mechanism 10, and so on are provided.
[0059] Hereafter, the respective components described above will be
described in detail. The bill traveling route 3 is extended from
the bill insertion slot 5 toward the back side, and is formed to be
bent so as to be inclined downward at its rear side, and to be
eventually bent in the vertical direction. A discharge slot 3a from
which the bill is discharged into the bill housing part 100 is
formed in the bill traveling route 3, and the bill discharged
therefrom is fed into a feed port (receiving port) 103 of the bill
housing part 100 in the vertical direction.
[0060] The bill conveyance mechanism 6 is a mechanism capable of
conveying a bill inserted from the bill insertion slot 5 along the
inserting direction, and of conveying back the bill in an insertion
state toward the bill insertion slot 5. The bill conveyance
mechanism 6 comprises a motor 13 (refer to FIG. 6) serving as a
driving source installed in the apparatus main body 2; and conveyor
roller pairs (14A and 14B), (15A and 15B), (16A and 16B), and (17A
and 17B) which are installed at predetermined intervals along the
bill traveling direction in the bill traveling route 3, and are
driven to rotate by the motor 13.
[0061] The conveyor roller pairs are installed so as to be
partially exposed on the bill traveling route 3, and all the pairs
are constituted of driving rollers of the conveyor rollers 14B,
15B, 16B, and 17B installed on the underside of the bill traveling
route 3 driven by the motor 13; and pinch-rollers of the conveyor
rollers 14A, 15A, 16A, and 17A installed on the upperside and
driven by the these driving rollers. In addition, the conveyor
roller pair (14A and 14B) to first nip and hold therebetween the
bill inserted from the bill insertion slot 5, and to carry the bill
toward the back side, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is installed in
one portion of the center position of the bill traveling route 3,
and a couple of the conveyor roller pairs (15A and 15B), (16A and
16B), or (17A and 17B) being disposed in this order on the
downstream side thereof are respectively installed in a couple of
portions with a predetermined interval in the lateral direction of
the bill traveling route 3.
[0062] Further, the conveyor roller pair (14A and 14B) disposed in
the vicinity of the bill insertion slot 5 is usually in a state
that the upper conveyor roller 14A is spaced from the lower
conveyor roller 14B, and the upper conveyor roller 14A is driven to
move toward the lower conveyor roller 14B to nip and hold the
inserted bill therebetween when insertion of the bill is sensed by
the insertion detecting sensor 7. In addition, the upper conveyor
roller 14A is controllably driven to be pressed against or spaced
from the conveyor roller 14B by a driving source 70 (refer to a
block diagram of FIG. 10). The driving source may comprise a motor,
solenoid, and the like, and is installed in the open/close member
2B.
[0063] Then, the upper conveyor roller 14A is spaced from the lower
conveyor roller 14B so as to release the load on the bill when a
process (skew correction process) for positioning the bill for the
bill reading means 8 by eliminating tilt of the inserted bill is
executed by the skew correction mechanism 10, and the upper
conveyor roller 14A is driven to move toward the lower conveyor
roller 14B again to nip and hold the bill therebetween when the
skew correction process is completed. The skew correction mechanism
10 comprises a pair of right and left movable pieces 10A (only one
side is shown) that perform skew correction and the skew correction
process is performed by driving a motor 40 for a skew driving
mechanism.
[0064] The conveyor rollers 14B, 15B, 16B and 17B installed on the
underside of the bill traveling route 3 are, as shown in FIG. 6,
driven to rotate via the motor 13 and pulleys 14C, 15C, 16C, and
17C installed at the ends of the driving shafts of the respective
conveyor rollers. That is, a driving pulley 13A is installed on the
output shaft of the motor 13, and a driving belt 13B is wrapped
around between the pulleys 14C, 15C, 16C, and 17C installed at the
ends of the driving shafts of the respective conveyor rollers and
the driving pulley 13A. In addition, tension pulleys are engaged in
places with the driving belt 13B, which prevents the driving belt
13B from loosening.
[0065] In accordance with the configuration described above, when
the motor 13 is driven to normally rotate, the conveyor rollers
14B, 15B, 16B, and 17B are driven to normally rotate in
synchronization therewith to carry the bill toward the insertion
direction. When the motor 13 is driven to reversely rotate, the
conveyor rollers 14B, 15B, 16B, and 17B are driven to reversely
rotate in synchronization therewith to carry back the bill toward
the bill insertion slot 5 side.
[0066] The insertion detecting sensor 7 is to generate a detection
signal when a bill inserted into the bill insertion slot 5 is
detected. In this embodiment, the insertion detecting sensor 7 is
installed between the pair of conveyor rollers (14A and 14B) and
the skew correction mechanism 10. The insertion detecting sensor 7
comprises, for example, an optical sensor such as a regressive
reflection type photo sensor. However, the insertion detecting
sensor 7 may comprise a mechanical sensor other than the optical
sensor.
[0067] Further, the movable piece passage detecting sensor 12 is to
generate a sensed signal when it is sensed that a front end of the
bill passes through a pair of right and left movable pieces 10A
constituting the skew correction mechanism 10, and the movable
piece passage detecting sensor 12 is installed on the upstream side
of the bill reading means 8. The movable piece passage detecting
sensor 12 also comprises an optical sensor or a mechanical sensor
in the same way as mentioned before with respect to the insertion
detecting sensor.
[0068] Further, the discharge detecting sensor 18 is to detect a
trailing end of the bill passing through such that it is detected
that the bill is discharged into the bill housing part 100. The
discharge detecting sensor 18 is disposed just in front of the
receiving port 103 of the bill housing part 100 on the downstream
side of the bill traveling route 3. The discharge detecting sensor
18 also comprises an optical sensor or a mechanical sensor in the
same way as the aforementioned insertion detecting sensor.
[0069] The bill reading means 8 reads bill information on the bill
carried in a state that the skew is eliminated by the skew
correction mechanism 10 (in a state that the bill is accurately
positioned), and judges whether the bill is true or false. In
detail, for example, the bill reading means 8 may comprise a line
sensor that performs reading of the bill such that a bill to be
carried is irradiated with light from upper and lower sides, and
transmitted light therethrough and reflected light therefrom are
detected by a light receiving element. A line sensor is shown in
the drawing, and an optical signal read by the line sensor is
photoelectric-converted, and the signal is compared and checked
with data of a legitimate bill stored in advance, which makes it
possible to identify the authenticity of the bill to be
carried.
[0070] The bill housing part 100 stacks and houses bills one after
another after the bills are identified as being legitimate by the
bill reading means 8.
[0071] As shown in FIG. 7, the main body frame 100A constituting
the bill housing part 100 is formed into a substantially
rectangular parallelepiped (or cuboid) shape, and one end of bias
means (e.g., bias spring) 106 is attached to an interior side of a
front wall 102a thereof, and a placing plate 105 on which bills to
be fed via the above-described receiving port 103 are sequentially
stacked is provided to the other end thereof. Therefore, the
placing plate 105 is in a state that it is pressed toward the
presser plate 115, which will be described later, by the bias means
106.
[0072] As mentioned above, the storage means 104 is mounted on the
upper wall 102b of the main body frame 100A. The storage means 104
has a function to store information concerning a bill and the like,
which is sent in a noncontact manner from the apparatus main body 2
side, and is constituted of an RFID (radio frequency
identification) tag in this embodiment. As shown in an enlarged
manner in FIG. 7, the storage means 104 comprises an IC chip
(storage part) 104b which is implemented on a board 104a made of an
insulating material, and a coil antenna 104c which is printed on
the board 104a and has both ends thereof connected to the IC ship
104b. Although the storage means 104 constituted of an ID tag is
configured as in a passive type having no battery, it may also be
configured as in an active type having a battery as well.
[0073] As mentioned above, the reader/writer 142 that writes
information (mainly constituted of information about the bill
identified as being authentic) into the storage means 104 is
implemented on the circuit board 141 disposed on the plate 2F
mounted on the rear surface side of the apparatus main body 2 and
wirelessly sends the bill information and the like across a
predetermined space to the storage means 104. That is, although not
illustrated in detail, the reader/writer 142 disposed on the
circuit board 141 comprises a communications controller which is
constituted of a passive component such as an IC chip and an LCR
and the like, an antenna which is connected to the communications
controller and sends the bill information and the like to the coil
antenna 104c of the storage means 104, and a matching circuit which
performs matching based on an electromagnetic wave frequency to be
used for communications and input/output impedances, whereby these
components are implemented on the circuit board 141.
[0074] Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the main body frame 100A is so
configured that a lower wall 102c rotates in a direction of an
arrow about a spindle 102d such that the bills housed inside may be
taken out. Therefore, the lower wall 102c also has a function as an
opening/closing door of the bill housing part 100.
[0075] In the configuration of the bill housing part according to
this embodiment, the storage means 104 is disposed on the upper
wall 102b, and the storage means 104 is so arranged as to be
opposite to the lower wall 102c, which is the opening/closing door,
while biasing means above, the biasing means 106 is so configured
as to have such a relationship that it is interposed between a
portion serving as the opening/closing lid and the storage means
whereby the biasing means (biasing spring) 106, interposed between
the lower wall 102c and the storage means 104, may become such an
obstruction as shown in FIG. 8 that a fraudulent activity can be
prevented effectively although, for example, it is attempted to
replace the legitimate storage part with another storage part
storing illegitimate information for an illicit purpose by opening
the lower wall 102c.
[0076] In the main body frame 100A, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the
presser standby part in which bills having dropped from a receiving
port 103 are kept and held is also provided. A pair of regulatory
members 110 are extending in a vertical direction and disposed on
both sides of the placing plate of the press standby part 108. An
opening 110A, through which the presser plate 115 passes in a
process of successively stacking bills onto the placing plate 105,
is formed between the pair of regulatory members 110.
[0077] Further, protruding walls 100B are formed on both side walls
inside the main body frame 100A such that the placing plate may hit
and contact thereon when the placing plate is pressed by the
biasing means 106. The protruding walls 100B fulfill a role to
stably hold the stacked bills by hit and contact on both sides of
the uppermost bill of the stacked bills when the presser plate is
biased by the biasing means as bills are successively stacked on
the placing plate 105.
[0078] Further, the presser plate 115 that presses bills having
fallen in the press standby part 108 from the receiving port 103
toward the placing plate 105 is arranged in the main body frame
100A. The presser plate 115 is formed in such a size that it may be
capable of reciprocating through an opening formed between the pair
of regulatory members 110 and is driven to reciprocate between a
position where the bills are pressed onto the placing plate 105 and
another position where the press standby part 108 is opened.
[0079] The presser plate 115 is driven to reciprocate as described
above via a presser plate driving mechanism 120 installed in the
main body frame 100A. The presser plate driving mechanism 120
comprises: a pair of link members 115a and 115b having respective
ends thereof supported pivotally by the presser plate 115 so as to
allow the presser plate 115 to reciprocate in an arrow A direction
in FIG. 5, and these link members 115a and 115b are connected in a
shape of letter "X", and the other ends opposite to the respective
ends are supported pivotally by a movable member 122 installed
movably in a vertical direction (an arrow B direction). A rack is
formed in the movable member 122 along an arrow B direction and
geared (engaged) with a pinion constituting the presser plate
driving mechanism 120 (the pinion is arranged coaxially with the
gear 124B in FIG. 5).
[0080] As shown in FIG. 5, a housing part side gear train 124
constituting the presser plate driving mechanism 120 is connected
to the pinion. In this case, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS.
3 and 5, a driving source (a motor 20) and a main body side gear
train 21 sequentially engaged with the motor 20 are installed in
the above-described apparatus main body 2, and when the bill
housing part 100 is mounted to a stand 2D disposed on the apparatus
main body 2, the main body side gear train 21 is to be connected to
the housing part side gear train 124. The housing part side gear
train 124 comprises a gear 124B installed coaxially with the pinion
and gears 124C, 124D to be engaged sequentially with the gear 124B,
and when the bill housing part 100 is mounted to and demounted from
the apparatus main body 2, the gear 124D is configured to be
engaged with and disengaged from a final gear 21A of the main body
side gear train 21.
[0081] As a result therefrom, the presser plate 115 is driven to
reciprocate in the arrow A direction as the motor 20 installed in
the apparatus main body 2 is driven to rotate so as to drive the
main body side gear train 21 and in turn the presser plate driving
mechanism 120 (the housing part side gear train 124, the rack 122A
formed in the movable member 122, and the link members 115a, 115b,
etc.).
[0082] The magnetic sensor 140 detecting that a predetermined
number of bills are placed on the placing plate 105 is installed
inside the frame 2A of the apparatus main body 2. As described
above, the magnetic sensor 140 is implemented on the sensor board
141 disposed on the plate 2F interposed between the stand 2D and
the frame 2A that constitutes the apparatus main body 2. The magnet
140A that applies the magnetic field to the magnetic sensor 140 is
fixed to a central portion of a rear surface of the placing plate
105 of the bill housing part 100.
[0083] The magnetic sensor 140 is installed at a predetermined
position in a direction in which the placing plate 105 is pressed,
the placing plate 105 is pressed by the presser plate 115 against
the biasing force of the biasing means 106, and as a loaded amount
of bills on the placing plate 105 increases and then exceeds a
predetermined number of bills, the magnetic field caused by the
magnet 140A becomes detected such that the detection signal is
generated. The position at which the magnetic sensor 140 is
installed (the position at which the threshold value is exceeded
and the detection signal is generated) is determined in advance
according to a size of the bill housing part to be mounted, and for
example, the magnetic sensor 140 is installed so that the detection
signal is generated before the bills loaded on the placing plate
105 reaches a predetermined number of bills determined in
advance.
[0084] In this case, the magnetic sensor 140 (sensor board 141) may
be installed at a plurality of locations along the pressing
direction of the presser plate 115. For example, by installing a
magnetic sensor 140B of the same kind on a further inner side along
the pressing direction from the magnetic sensor 140 as shown in
FIG. 7, it is also possible to detect another number of bills in
relation to the bills housed in the bill housing part 100. This
configuration is in consideration because another kind of bill
housing part 100 having a different housing capacity may be mounted
to the stand 2D, and the other kind of bill housing part 100 having
another housing capacity may be mounted to the same apparatus main
body 2, which can accept different kinds of bill housing parts.
[0085] Conveyor members 150 which are capable of touching the bill
conveyed-in from the receiving port 103 are installed in the main
body frame 100A of the bill housing part 100. The conveyor members
150 take their own role to contact the bill conveyed-in so as to
stably guide the bill into an appropriate position in the press
standby part 108 (position where the bill can be stably pressed
without causing the bill to be moved to the right or left side when
the bill is pressed by the presser plate 115). In this embodiment,
the conveyor members are constituted of belt-like members
(hereafter called belts 150) installed so as to face the press
standby part 108.
[0086] In this case, the belts 150 are installed so as to extend
along the conveying-in direction with respect to the bill, and are
wrapped around the pair of pulleys 150A and 150B supported
rotatably on both ends in the conveying-in direction. Further, the
belts 150 contact a conveyor roller 150C extending in an axis
direction which is supported rotatably in the region of the
receiving port 103, and the belts 150 and the conveyor roller 150C
nip and hold the bill conveyed-in the receiving port 103
therebetween to guide the bill directly to the press standby part
108. Here, in this embodiment, the pair of belts 150 are provided
on the right and left sides, respectively, across the
above-described presser plate 115 in order to be capable of
contacting the surface on left and right sides of the bill. In
addition, the belts 150 may be prevented from loosening by not only
being wrapped around the pulleys 150A and 150B at the both ends,
but also causing tension pulleys to push the belts 150 at the
intermediate positions, respectively.
[0087] The pair of belts 150 are configured to be driven by the
motor 13 that drives the above-described plurality of conveyor
rollers installed in the apparatus main body 2. In detail, as shown
in FIG. 6, the above-described driving belt 13B driven by the motor
13 is wrapped around a pulley 13D for the driving force
transmission, and a gear train 153 installed at the end of the
spindle of the pulley 150A supported rotatably on the receiving
port 103 side is engaged with a gear train 13E for the power
transmission sequentially installed onto the pulley 13D. That is,
when the bill housing part 100 is mounted to the apparatus main
body 2, an input gear of the gear train 153 is configured to be
engaged with a final gear of the gear train 13E, and the pair of
belts 150 are configured to be driven to rotate in a synchronized
manner with the above-described conveyor rollers 14B, 15B 16B, and
17B for conveying the bill by driving the motor 13 to rotate.
[0088] Also, the above-mentioned presser plate detecting sensor 23
is configured to be capable of detecting a position of the presser
plate 115 that presses the bill toward the placing plate 105, and
further, to be capable of detecting the mounting or demounting
operation when the bill housing part 100 is mounted to or demounted
from the stand 2D and the frame 2A of the apparatus main body
2.
[0089] Next, the control means for controlling operations of the
above-mentioned paper sheet processing apparatus will be explained
with reference to FIG. 10.
[0090] The control means 200 comprises a control circuit board 200A
that controls the operations of the above-described respective
drive units, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 210 constituting
bill identification means, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 212, a RAM
(Random Access Memory) 214, and a reference data storage part 216
are mounted on the control circuit board.
[0091] In the ROM 212, various types of programs such as operation
programs for the respective drive units such as the motor 13 that
drives the above-described bill conveyance mechanism, the motor 20
that drives the presser plate, the driving source 70 that drives
the conveyor roller 14A to contact/be spaced from the conveyor
roller 14B, the motor 40 to drive the skew driving mechanism 10; an
authenticity judgment program for the bill read by the bill reading
means 8; and permanent data are stored. The CPU 210 generates
control signals according to the programs stored in the ROM 212,
carries out the input and output of the signals with respect to the
respective drive units via an I/O port 220, and controls the
driving of the respective drive units.
[0092] Further, detection signals from various detecting sensor 7,
the movable piece passage detecting sensor 12, the discharge
detecting sensor 18, the magnetic sensor 140, the presser plate
detecting sensor 23 for detecting the position of the presser plate
115, and the like are to be input to the CPU 210 via the I/O port
220, and the driving of the respective drive units is controlled on
the basis of these detection signals.
[0093] Further, data and programs used for the operation of the CPU
210 are stored in the RAM 214, and reference data used for the
performance of a bill authenticity judgment, for example, various
types of data acquired from all the printing areas of the
legitimate bill (such as data about contrasting density and data
about transmitted light or reflected light when the bill is
irradiated with infrared ray) are stored as reference data in the
reference data storage part 216. In addition, the reference data is
stored in the dedicated reference data storage part 216. However,
the data may be stored in the ROM 212.
[0094] Then, a bill reading detection sensor (for example, a line
sensor) 80 constituting the above-described bill reading means 8 is
connected to the CPU 210 via the I/O port 220, and bill reading
data read by the bill reading detection sensor 80 is compared with
the reference data stored in the reference data storage part 216
such that a bill authenticity judgment process is executed.
[0095] The aforementioned CPU 210 is configured to send the bill
information concerning information of bills to be housed in the
bill housing part to the reader/writer 142 via the I/O port 220.
That is, the CPU 210 compares the bill reading data read by the
bill reading detection sensor 80 with the reference data stored in
the reference data storage part 216 to execute the bill
authenticity judgment process, and, when the corresponding bill is
judged to be authentic, drives the reader/writer 142 to execute
writing of the information of the bill having been judged to be
authentic into the storage means (ID tag) 104 installed on the bill
housing part 100.
[0096] Here, in addition to the bill information to be housed
(monetary information), information about time of respective
insertions of bills and ID information identifying the specific
apparatus main body 2 may also be stored in association with each
other in the storage means 104. In detail, for example, when a
specific bill housing part 100 is mounted on the apparatus main
body 2, unique ID information provided in advance to the apparatus
main body 2 of the bill processing apparatus 1 is so written into
the storage part 104b of the storage means 104 that the apparatus
main body 2 and the specific bill housing part 100 are associated
with each other.
[0097] The CPU 210 is also configured to send the same bill
information as written in the storage means 104 by the
reader/writer 142 to an externally connected management server 260
via the I/O port 220, wherein the thus-sent bill information is
associated with the above-described unique ID information. As shown
in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, the management server 260 is
configured to manage (as a hall computer managing a game hall) a
plurality of gaming machines 300, into which the bill processing
apparatuses 1 are incorporated respectively, and each of the bill
processing apparatuses sends its own bill information of deposited
amount in association with its unique ID information such that the
management server 260 stores and manages each monetary information
of deposited amount along with the unique ID information. Here,
sending and receiving of information are performed via the internet
or a LAN such as a dedicated communications network 500 between the
management server 260 and the respective gaming machines 300 (bill
processing apparatuses 1).
[0098] In regard to a bill housing part 100 that is removed from
the above-described bill processing apparatus 1, for example, a
management apparatus 280 that reads the information stored in the
respective storage means (ID tags) 104 may be used as shown in FIG.
11 to manage the bills housed inside. In detail, the management
apparatus 280 comprises a management controller 281 including a
CPU, storage means, and the like, a reader/writer device (R/W
device) 282 being capable of wirelessly reading the deposit
information recorded in the storage means (ID tag) 104 incorporated
into the bill housing part 100, and a display device 283 such as a
display.
[0099] In the management apparatus 280, it is possible to check a
fraudulent activity, when the deposit information recorded in the
storage means (ID tag) 104 of each bill housing part 100 is read by
the reader/writer device 282, by performing data collation of the
thus-read deposit information with the deposit information
according to each bill housing part having been recorded in the
above-described management server 260 (deposit information matching
process).
[0100] Alternatively, while the display device 283 shows the
deposit information read by the reader/writer device 282, the bills
actually housed in the bill housing part 100 are taken out and
counted such that the deposit information and the counted amount
are compared so as to check the fraudulent activity. Here, in
addition to such a check, a double check can be performed to
improve the reliability by performing the deposit information
matching process as described above with respect to the
aforementioned management server 260.
[0101] As described above, the bill processing apparatus 1 and the
bill housing part 100 are so associated with the ID information,
even after a plurality of bill housing parts 100 are removed from
many gaming machines in order to collect the bills, that the
apparatus main bodies on which the corresponding bill housing parts
are to be mounted can be easily located, and further, from the
monetary information of the housed bills, it is possible to specify
easily which gaming machines 300 have been popular.
[0102] Also, in each bill processing apparatus 1, the information
concerning the bill inserted from the bill insertion slot 5 and
housed in the bill housing part 100 is wirelessly sent and received
between the reader/writer 142 serving as the transmitting part and
the coil antenna 104c of the storage means (ID tag) 104 as
described above such that it is not necessary to install a
connection terminal or a power and signal line in each of the
apparatuses, which used to be required conventionally, whereby the
contact failure between connection terminals of both may not occur.
Therefore, the information concerning the bill can thus be provided
reliably from the apparatus main body 2 to the bill housing part
100 side.
[0103] Also, in the above-described configuration, the coil antenna
104c of the storage means (ID tag) 104 is installed on a surface
side (upper wall 102b) along the direction of
mounting-and-demounting of the bill housing part 100 and the
reader/writer 142 to serve as the transmitting part sending the
bill information is installed on a portion opposite to the upper
wall 102 of the bill housing part 100 such that it may be possible
to reduce the probability to cause the communications failure
between them even if the bill housing part 100 is incompletely
mounted on the stand 2D to which the frame 2A of the apparatus main
body 2 is fixed.
[0104] In detail, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the bill housing
part 100 is mounted to and demounted from the stand 2D of the
apparatus main body 2 as the upper wall 102b and a ceiling plate of
the stand 2D which is substantially parallel to the upper wall 102b
slide with each other without collision. That is, the upper wall
102b and the ceiling plate are in such a positional relationship
that they pass by each other and movements of both may not cause a
collision or a bump (passing-by movement or structure). For
example, such a positional relationship can include the case that
two bodies relatively moving would not cross a sliding surface and
such a surface exists [in a distance between two bodies]. The coil
antenna 104c of the storage means (including a storage device) 104
is disposed on the upper wall 102b and the transmitting part 142 as
a counter part is disposed on the plate 2F arranged on the ceiling
plate such that the sliding surface divides an upper side and a
lower side. As shown in FIG. 12B, the reader/writer 142 and the
coil antenna 104c of the storage means are arranged in a direction
perpendicular to a mounting-and-demounting direction of the bill
housing part 100 such that a distance L may be produced between
them as shown in a right diagram of FIG. 12B if the bill housing
part 100 is incompletely mounted onto the stand 2D whereby the bill
information may not be sent reliably. In such a case, the upper
wall 102b and the ceiling plate of the stand 2D substantially
parallel thereto are in the positional relationship of passing-by,
but the coil antenna 104c of the storage means 104 and the
transmitting part 142 are not in the positional relationship of
passing-by. They contact (collide) with each other if they move in
the mounting-and-demounting direction. On the other hand, as shown
in FIG. 12A, the distance L between the reader/writer 142 disposed
on the frame side of the apparatus main body and the coil antenna
104c of the storage means 104 disposed on the bill housing 100 side
can be made within the range for enabling communications thereof in
either case of a complete mounting state as shown in a left diagram
or of an incomplete mounting state of the bill housing part 100
onto the stand 2D as shown in a right diagram whereby the
possibility of communications failure between them may be reduced.
In FIG. 12B, the coil antenna 104c of the storage means 104 may
collide on the transmitting part 142 if they become too close such
that both may be damaged. On the other hand, the possibility to
cause the communications failure may be increased if they do not
become close enough. In particular, it is possible to keep an
optimal positional relationship even though there is some
misalignment as shown in FIG. 12A if the antenna 104c has a
receiver sensitivity spreading homogenously in parallel to a
sliding surface. On the other hand, even though the sending and
receiving are made between the reader/writer 142 as a point and the
storage means 104 as another point, the configuration as shown in
FIG. 12 is preferable. As shown in FIGS. 12C and 12D, for example,
assuming the optimal distance between the reader/writer 142 and the
storage means 104 is P and that the misalignment from the optimal
distance is Q, then the distance between the reader/writer 142 and
the storage means 104 is (P.sup.2+Q.sup.2).sup.0.5 and (P+Q),
respectively. If these are compared, (P+Q) is larger. Here, the
coil antenna as referred to so far may be a loop antenna. For
example, a small loop antenna has the maximum directionality in a
perpendicular direction to the loop surface and null directionality
on the loop surface. As the transmission system, an electromagnetic
coupling type (mutual induction system) and a long wave having 550
KHz or less may be employed. Further, with a short wave band having
13.56 MHz or a long wave band having 135 KHz or less applied to the
coil antenna, an electromagnetic induction type (induced
electromagnetic system) which utilizes transmission medium to
transmit magnetic field generated around the antenna may be
utilized.
[0105] Although the positional relationship of the reader/writer
142 and the storage means 104 is thus preferably a relationship as
shown in FIG. 12A, it is of course OK to have a positional
relationship as shown in FIG. 12B. Here, in the case of a
positional relationship as shown in FIG. 12B, the front wall 102a
as shown in FIG. 7 is preferably configured as the opening/closing
lid installed on the bill housing part 100. That is, such a
positional relationship is arranged that the biasing means is
interposed between the opening/closing lid and the storage means
whereby a fraudulent activity performed on the storage means 104
upon opening the opening/closing lid can thereby be prevented
effectively.
[0106] Next, the bill processing operation in the bill processing
apparatus 1 executed by the control means 200 will be described
with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 13 to 19.
[0107] When an operator inserts a bill into the bill insertion slot
5, the conveyor roller pair (14A and 14B) installed in the vicinity
of the bill insertion slot is in a state that the rollers are
spaced from each other in an initial stage (refer to ST16 and ST56
to be described later). Further, with respect to the presser plate
115, the pair of link members 115a, 115b driving the presser plate
115 are positioned in a pathway of the press standby part 108, and
the presser plate 115 is so positioned (hereinafter, called
"standby position") that the pair of link members 115a, 115b
prevent the bill from being conveyed into the press standby part
108 from the receiving port 103 (refer to ST134 to be described
later). That is, in this state, the presser plate 115 is brought
into the opening 110A formed between the pair of regulatory members
110 such that the opening through which the bill passes is in an
occluded state so as to prevent the bill stored in the bill housing
part from being drawn out.
[0108] Moreover, the pair of movable pieces 10A constituting the
skew correction mechanism 10 located on the downstream side of the
conveyor roller pair (14A, 14B) are in a state that the pair of
movable pieces 10A are moved to leave example, an interval between
the pair of movable pieces 10A is 52 mm; refer to ST15 and ST57 to
be described later) so as to prevent the bill from being drawn out
in the initial stage.
[0109] When the above-described pair of conveyor rollers (14A and
14B) are in the initial state, the operator easily insert a
wrinkled bill into the bill insertion slot 5. Then, when the
insertion detecting sensor 7 detects the insertion of the bill
(ST01), the driving motor of the above-described presser plate 115
is driven to rotate reversely for a predetermined amount (ST02) to
move the presser plate 115 to the initial position. In this initial
position, the press standby part 108 is in an open state (refer to
FIG. 5), and the bill can be conveyed into the inside of the bill
housing part 100. That is, by driving the motor 20 to rotate
reversely for a predetermined amount, the presser plate 115 is
driven from the aforementioned standby position to the initial
position via the main body side gear train 21 and the presser plate
driving mechanism 120 (the housing part side gear train 124, the
rack formed on the movable member 122, and the link members 115a
and 115b etc.). The press standby part 108 is opened by the
movement of the presser plate 115 such that the bill can be
conveyed into the inside of the bill housing part.
[0110] In this state, the above-described driving source 70 is
driven to move the upper conveyor roller 14A so as to make a
contact with the lower conveyor roller 14B. In accordance
therewith, the inserted bill is nipped and held therebetween by the
pair of conveyor rollers (14A and 14B) (ST03).
[0111] Next, a traveling route opening process is conducted (ST04).
The opening process is conducted by driving the pair of movable
pieces 10A to move in separating directions so as to become apart
with each other as the motor 40 for the skew correction mechanism
is driven to rotate reversely as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 16
(ST100). At this time, when it is detected that the pair of movable
pieces 10A have moved to the predetermined positions (the maximum
open width positions) by the movable piece detecting sensor that
detects positions of the pair of movable pieces 10A (ST101), the
driving operation to rotate the motor 40 reversely is stopped
(ST102). This traveling route opening process allows the bill to
enter between the pair of movable pieces 10A. In addition, in the
previous step of ST04, the bill traveling route 3 is in a closed
state by a traveling route closing process (ST15, ST57) to be
described later. Thus, the bill traveling route 3 is closed in this
way before an insertion of the bill so as to prevent an element
such as a line sensor from being broken by, for example, inserting
a plate-like member from the bill insertion slot for illicit
purposes or the like.
[0112] Next, the bill conveyor motor 13 is driven to rotate
normally (ST05). The bill is carried into the inside of the
apparatus by the conveyor roller pair (14A and 14B), and when the
movable piece passage detecting sensor 12 installed on the
downstream side from the skew correction mechanism 10 detects the
front end of the bill, the bill conveyor motor 13 is stopped (ST06
and ST07). At this time, the bill is located between the pair of
movable pieces 10A constituting the skew correction mechanism
10.
[0113] Next, the above-described driving source 70 is driven to
allow the conveyor roller pair (14A and 14B) holding the bill
therebetween to become apart from each other (ST08). At this time,
the bill is in a state that no load is applied.
[0114] Then, a skew correction operating process is executed as the
bill remains in this state (ST09). The skew correction operating
process is conducted by driving the motor 40 for the skew
correction mechanism to rotate normally to drive the pair of
movable pieces 10A to get closer with each other. That is, in this
skew correction operating process, as shown in the flowchart of
FIG. 17, the motor 40 described above is driven to rotate normally
to move the pair of movable pieces 10A in respective directions
such that the pair of movable pieces 10A get closer with each other
(ST110). The movement of the movable pieces is continued until the
interval becomes the minimum width (example; width of 62 mm) of the
bill registered in the reference data storage part in the control
means, and the skew is corrected by the movable pieces 10A touching
both sides of the bill such that the bill may be positioned at the
accurate center position.
[0115] When the skew correction operating process as described
above is completed, a traveling route opening process is
subsequently executed (ST10). This process is conducted by moving
the pair of movable pieces 10A in separating directions as the
above-described motor 40 for the skew correction mechanism is
driven to rotate reversely (refer to ST100 to ST102 of FIG.
16).
[0116] Next, the above-described driving source 70 is driven to
move the upper conveyor roller 14A to contact the lower conveyor
roller 14B, and the bill is nipped and held between the pair of
conveyor rollers (14A and 14B) (ST11). Thereafter, the bill
conveyor motor 13 is driven to rotate normally to carry the bill
into the inside of the apparatus, and when the bill passes through
the bill reading means 8, a bill reading process is executed (ST12
and ST13).
[0117] Then, when the bill to be carried passes through the bill
reading means 8, and the trailing end of the bill is detected by
the movable piece detecting sensor 12 (ST14), a process for closing
the bill traveling route 3 is executed (ST15). In this process,
first, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 18, after the trailing end
of the bill is detected by the movable piece detecting sensor 12,
the above-described motor 40 is driven to rotate normally to move
the pair of movable pieces 10A in respective directions such that
the pair of movable pieces 10A get closer with each other (ST120).
Next, when it is sensed by the movable piece detecting sensor that
the movable pieces 10A move to the predetermined positions (minimum
open width positions: for example, width of 52 mm) (ST121), the
driving operation of the normal rotation of the motor is stopped
(ST122).
[0118] With this traveling route closing process, the pair of
movable pieces 10A are moved to the minimum open width positions
(width of 52 mm) narrower than the width of any bill allowed to be
inserted, thereby effectively preventing the bill from being drawn
out. That is, by executing such a bill traveling route closing
movable pieces 10A is made shorter than the width of the inserted
bill, thereby enabling the effective prevention of an action of
drawing-out the bill in the direction toward the insertion slot by
the operator for illicit purposes.
[0119] In addition, when the movable piece detecting sensor as
described above detects the movement of the movable pieces 10A in
this state, it may be considered that the operator is committing
some fraudulent activities such that a predetermined processes may
be executed. For example, a fraudulent manipulated signal (an
anomaly sensed signal) may be transmitted to a higher-level
apparatus that manages the operations of the bill processing
apparatus, or an annunciator lamp may be provided on the bill
processing apparatus, and this lamp may flash, or without
activating a process for input acceptance (ST22) input by another
operator thereafter, a process in which a discharge operation or
the like is forcibly carried out may be executed. Or, appropriate
processes such as canceling the operation of the bill processing
apparatus (for example, a process for stopping the processing, a
process for discharging the bill, and the like) and the like may be
executed.
[0120] Further, in succession to the traveling route closing
process described above (ST15), a conveyor roller pair spacing
process is executed such that the driving source 70 is driven to
make the conveyor roller pair (14A, 14B) having been in a state
capable of nipping and holding the bill therebetween separate from
each other (ST16). By executing the conveyor roller pair spacing
process, even if the operator additionally inserts (double
insertion) another bill by mistake, the bill is not subject to a
feeding operation by the conveyor roller pair (14A, 14B) and hits
front ends of the pair of movable pieces 10A in a closed state
according to ST15 such that it is possible to reliably prevent the
operation of bill double-insertion.
[0121] Along with the bill traveling route closing process as
mentioned above, when the bill reading means 8 reads the data up to
the trailing end of the bill, the bill conveyor motor 13 is driven
for a predetermined amount and leave the bill stopped at a
predetermined position (escrow position; position where the bill is
carried toward the downstream by 13 mm from the center position of
the bill reading means 8), and at this time, a bill authenticity
judgment process is executed by the control means 200 (ST17 to
ST20).
[0122] In the bill authenticity judgment process at ST20 as
described above, when the bill is judged as a legitimate bill
(ST21; Yes), an input from the operator is received (ST22). This
input corresponds to an acceptance operation in which the operator
presses an acceptance button in order to accept provision of
services (for example, in the case of a gaming device, an
acceptance process accompanied by start of a game), and a return
operation in which the operator presses a return button in order to
execute a process for returning the inserted bill.
[0123] Then, when an operation to accept the provision of various
types of services is input (ST23; Yes), the bill conveyor motor 13
is consecutively driven to rotate normally to convey the bill in
this state toward the bill housing part 100 (ST24). While the bill
is conveyed, the bill conveyor motor 13 is driven to rotate
normally until the trailing end of the bill is detected by the
discharge detecting sensor 18, and after the trailing end of the
bill is detected by the discharge detecting sensor 18 (ST25), the
bill conveyor motor 13 is driven to rotate normally by the
predetermined amount (ST26 and ST27).
[0124] The process for driving the bill conveyor motor 13 to rotate
normally in ST26 and ST27 corresponds to a driving amount for which
the bill is conveyed in the receiving port 103 of the bill housing
part 100 from the discharge slot 3a on the downstream side of the
bill traveling route 3 of the apparatus main body 2 so that the
pair of belts 150 contact the surface on both sides of the
conveyed-in bill to guide the bill stably to the press standby part
108. That is, by further driving the bill conveyor motor 13 to
rotate normally for a predetermined amount after the trailing end
of the bill is detected by the discharge detecting sensor 18, the
pair of belts 150 contact the bill conveyed-in and are driven in
the bill feeding direction so as to guide the bill in a stable
state to the press standby part 108.
[0125] Then, after the above-described bill conveyor motor 13 is
stopped, the process for driving the presser plate 115 is executed
(ST28) such that the bill is placed on the placing plate 105.
[0126] The process for driving the presser plate 115 is executed in
accordance with the flowchart as shown in FIG. 19. First, the
driving motor 20 of the presser plate 115 is driven to rotate
normally for a predetermine amount to move the presser plate 115
staying at the initial position in the above ST02 until it gets to
the pressing position (ST130). With respect to the amount of
driving to rotate normally the motor 20, if the motor 20 is
composed of a DC motor, a predetermined amount of rotation can be
set such that pulses are generated by utilizing, for example, an
encoder and the number of the pulses is measured. That is, by
driving the driving motor 20 to rotate normally for a predetermined
amount, the presser plate 115 is moved from the initial position to
the pressing position via the main body side gear train 21 and the
presser plate driving mechanism 120 (the housing part side gear
train 124, the rack formed on the movable member 122, and the link
members 115a and 115b and so on).
[0127] According to the movement of the presser plate 115, the bill
in the press standby part 108 passes through the opening 110A
between the pair of regulatory members 110 so as to be deflected in
a U-shape in a laterally symmetrical manner, and the bill is
finally pressed onto the placing plate 105. In this case, since the
bill is conveyed to the appropriate pressing position without
leaning to either side by the pair of belts 150 as described above,
even if the presser plate 115 is moved, the bill is placed on the
placing plate 105 stably without jamming or the like between the
presser plate 115 and the pair of regulatory members 110.
[0128] When the presser plate 115 is moved to the pressing
position, the presser plate 115 is processed to wait (ST131) for a
predetermined time (200 ms) at the pressing position so as to place
the bill stably on the placing plate 105, and thereafter, the
driving motor 20 of the presser plate 115 is driven to rotate
reversely (ST132). Then, when it is detected by the presser plate
detecting sensor 23 that the presser plate 115 has moved from the
pressing position to the aforementioned standby position, the
driving of the motor 20 is stopped, and the presser plate 115 is
stopped in the standby position (ST133: Yes, ST134). As described
above, the bill cannot be drawn out in this standby position.
[0129] In addition, if the presser plate detecting sensor 23 does
not detect that the presser plate 115 has moved from the pressing
position to the standby position within a predetermined period of
time, it is considered that something is wrong with the stack
operation, and the signal expressing that something is wrong with
the stack operation (an error signal) is transmitted to an external
device, annunciation means, or the like (ST133; No, ST133A).
[0130] As described above, when the presser plate 115 is stopped at
the standby position, the CPU 210 subsequently sends the read
monetary information of the bill along with the unique ID
information assigned to the bill processing apparatus to the
management server 260 (ST135). Therefore, the deposit information
sent from each bill processing apparatus is thus recorded and
managed successively by the management server 260.
[0131] Then, after sending the deposit information to the
management server 260, the CPU 210 sends the deposit information to
the reader/writer 142 (ST138), and the reader/writer 142 writes the
deposit information into the storage means (ID tag) disposed on the
bill housing part 100.
[0132] Then, after the presser plate 115 is moved from the pressing
position to the standby position, in a case where the magnetic
sensor 140 detects magnetism provided to the rear surface of the
placing plate 105 (ST137; Yes), a detection signal is sent to the
CPU 210 to inform that the number of bills stacked in the bill
housing part 100 approaches the predetermined number (ST138; No,
ST139).
[0133] In this embodiment, in designing a detection signal
generation as a threshold value from the magnetic sensor 140, the
magnetic sensor 140 is installed to generate the detection signal
before the number of bills stacked on the placing plate 105 reaches
the predetermined number (that is, the predetermined number less
nine (9)) in consideration of safely and easy handling.
[0134] Concretely, when the magnetic sensor 140 begins to detect
the magnetism emitted by the magnet 140a, the CPU 210 increments a
count repeatedly at each subsequent bill housing operation (for
each operation of housing a single bill) (ST140) and writes the
information in the RAM 214. When the count is not exceeding nine
(9) the CPU 210 causes a notification that the stacker is
approaching a full state (ST139). This notification may
specifically be comprised of a drive signal to be sent to the
notification means configured with a speaker that notifies such a
state by sound, a lamp that notifies the state visually, and so on
to make the administrator and the like notified that the stacker is
approaching a full state by means of the sound, lamp, and so on.
With this notification, the administrator can exchange the bill
housing parts 100 before the number of bills in the bill housing
part 100 reaches the predetermined number.
[0135] Otherwise, the CPU 210 may be configured to send an error
signal to the management server 260 (see FIG. 10) that manages the
operations of bill processing apparatuses (gaming machine) to
enable the state to be grasped in the other location. By this
configuration, the timing for removing the bill housing part 100
can be managed appropriately.
[0136] Further, after the magnetic sensor 140 detects the
magnetism, when it is detected that ten (10) or more times the bill
stack operation is repeated without exchanging the bill housing
part 100 (ST138; Yes), a process of disabling the apparatus is
executed in order for bills not to be further inserted therein
(ST138A). With respect to this disabling process, for example, a
process of stopping the bill conveyor motor 13 driving the bill
conveyance mechanism 6 described above may be performed in order
not to convey the bill inside even if a user inserts a bill into
the bill insertion slot. In this way, because no more bills beyond
the predetermined number of bills are thus prevented from being
conveyed into the bill housing part 100, it is possible to prevent
components of the bill housing part 100 from breaking down.
[0137] Also, in the process of ST21 as described above, when the
inserted bill is judged as a non-legitimate bill or the operator
presses the return button (ST23; No), a traveling route opening
process is executed (ST51, refer to ST100 to ST102 of FIG. 16),
then, the bill conveyor motor 13 is driven to rotate reversely, and
the conveyor roller pair (14A, 14B) are brought into contact with
each other such that the bill waiting at the escrow position is
conveyed toward the bill insertion slot 5 (ST52 and ST53). Then,
when the insertion detecting sensor 7 senses the trailing end of
the bill to be returned toward the bill insertion slot 5, the
driving to reversely rotate the bill conveyor motor 13 is stopped,
and above-described driving source 70 is driven to make the
conveyor roller pair (14A and 14B) having been in a state of
nipping and holding the bill therebetween separate from each other
(ST54 to ST56). Then, the traveling route closing process is
executed (AT57), the motor 20 for driving the presser plate 115 is
driven to rotate forward for a predetermined amount to return the
presser plate, which had been moved to the initial position in
ST02, to the standby position (ST58), and the series of processes
have been completed.
[0138] As mentioned above, the embodiment of the present invention
is described. However, the present invention is not limited to the
above-described embodiments, and various modifications of the
present invention can be implemented.
[0139] In the present invention, it suffices that a transmitting
part (reader/writer) which wirelessly sends information of a bill
inserted from a bill insertion slot is installed onto an apparatus
main body side, and that an antenna wirelessly receiving the
information sent from the transmitting part and a storage part
storing the bill information received from the antenna are disposed
on a bill housing part side, and the other components of the
apparatus such as a driving source for driving the various kinds of
driving members as mentioned above or a power transmission
mechanism from the driving source may be modified as appropriate.
The transmitting part and the antenna receiving the information
sent from the transmitting part may be modified as appropriate with
respect to the configuration and the arranged positions.
[0140] According to the above-described embodiment of the paper
sheet processing apparatus, the information of the paper sheet
housed in the housing part after having been inserted from the
insertion slot is sent and received between the transmitting part
and the antenna by wireless transmission such that it is not
necessary to install connection terminals or a power and signal
line in the apparatus, whereby an electrical contact failure of the
connection terminals between them would not occur.
[0141] Further, the housing part according to the above-described
embodiment comprises a placing plate on which the paper sheets are
placed, a spring which pushes the placing plate, and an
opening/closing door from which the paper sheets housed on the
placing plate are taken out, wherein the storage part is installed
at an opposite position to the opening/closing door with the spring
being interposed inbetween.
[0142] For example, even if it is attempted to replace the
legitimate storage part with another storage part storing
illegitimate information by opening the opening/closing door, such
a fraudulent activity can be prevented effectively because the
spring is interposed between the opening/closing door and the
storage part.
[0143] Further, the housing part of the above-mentioned embodiment
is configured to be mountable to and demountable from a frame
constituting the apparatus main body, the antenna is installed on a
surface side along an mounting/demounting direction of the housing
part, and the transmitting part is installed on an opposing surface
side of the frame opposite to the surface side of the housing
part.
[0144] Even if the mounting of the housing part onto the frame of
the apparatus main body is incomplete, for example, a distance
between the transmitting part installed on the frame side and the
antenna installed on the housing part side can be maintained within
a distance enabling communications, a risk of communications
failure between both components can be reduced.
[0145] As described so far, a paper sheet processing apparatus
being capable of reliably providing information concerning the
paper sheet to a housing body side can be provided.
[0146] The present invention can be incorporated into various types
of apparatuses to provide products and services by inserting a bill
thereinto, for example. It is also possible to apply it to a
processing device to process a paper sheet such as a coupon ticket,
not limited to, but including the bill.
* * * * *